April 14, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb West School student, Kaden Mullinax, completed his first half marathon on Sunday, April 6th, racing in the Covenant Health Half in Knoxville. The eighth grader, who is part of DeKalb Middle School’s cross country team, covered the 13.1 mile course in a time of 2:06. He placed 4th in his age group and finished 697th overall out of a field of 2,034 participants, which is in the top one-third.
DeKalb’s cross-country coach, Kristen Van Vranken had this to say, “To accomplish something of this magnitude as an eighth grader is phenomenal. The mental focus and physical exhaustion in a race of this length is so challenging and Kaden conquered his goal and finished. He is a huge part of our cross-country program and a wonderful student-athlete. We couldn’t be more proud of him”.